Hands on... Veggie Salad

     You are what you think. And you are what you eat. So, eat well. It is recommended that one eats about 3 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. A tall order  in today's circumstances. Do try to eat a vegetable salad at least once a week. Here's a simple recipe for a vegetable salad.

Here  are the ingredients. Feel free to vary the amounts as you like it. You can add or drop an ingredient depending on your preference.

Finely chopped Big Onion - 1

Finely chopped Tomatoes - 1 or 2

Boiled, cooled (preferably refrigerated for a few hours) and cubed (small) Potatoes - 1 big

Finely chopped / Grated Cabbage - a small piece. (Here I've used purple cabbage)

Grated carrots - 1 or 2

Finely chopped coriander leaves - a few sprigs

F

One spoon each of Olive oil and Flaxseed oil. Do not skip the flaxseed oil because it is an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Add the juice of one lime to the oils. Pour over the other ingredients.

Add 1 teaspoon each of salt, red chilli powder and chat masala powder, if you like. Or you  can add any other spices according to your preference. Mix well.

Add some corn flakes just before serving.

A healthy veggie salad to relish. Anybody can make this. Whether you're a bachelor or stay in PG accommodation or in hostel, you can fix this up (plus or minus a couple of ingredients) in a matter of 15 minutes.

Tips:

• Potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates and  they are healthy (if they're not deep fried). So, do boil one or two potatoes in the morning so that you can use them in dishes through the day. 
• Any cabbage can be used, but use purple cabbage if you can get it. The more colourful your salad is, the healthier it is.
• I personally prefer to use more carrots because I like their taste. You can also add a beetroot. Both are good for your skin. 
• Adding sprouts to the salad will make it more nutritious.
• You can skip the olive oil if you don't want it, but try not to skip the flaxseed oil.
• Adding chat masala and corn flakes gives a taste similar to bhel puri. Do not substitute corn flakes with sev or puri. We do not want anything deep fried in our healthy salad. You could add puffed rice, if you like it.
• Try to use a wooden cutting board (more on this in a later post). Avoid plastic/fibre cutting boards.

 Happy Salad time! Have a healthy day!